Toll booth system

ABSTRACT

A series of two consecutive toll booths along a single lane of access and exit, with toll-due sign, the toll-receiving receptacle, the toll-booth treadle, information and direction signs, thank you signs, alarms and the like being for each booth coordinated automatically with the other booth, permitting two consecutive automobiles to be paying tolls at the same time, the two automobiles to leave at the same time, and two other automobiles next in line to move to the respective vacant toll booths, with the sign at the first vacant toll booth directing the first other automobile to proceed to and pay ahead at the second toll booth and thereafter a sign at the first toll booth directing the second other automobile to pay here the toll at the first toll booth, with a sign at the second toll booth directing the first other automobile to pay here at the second toll booth, with a thank you sign at each toll booth activatable and the paytoll signs deactivatable by payment of the toll, and with each second automobile being able to proceed past the second toll booth without setting off an alarm when already the second automobile has paid its toll at the first toll booth, a first automobile also being permitted to erroneously pay toll at the first toll booth and to thereafter proceed past the second toll booth without setting off an alarm, the mechanisms of the automatically coordinated toll booths being automatically reset for repeat operation, in this manner permitting each available single lane to serve to collect tolls from a plurality of customers simultaneously to thereby speed-up toll collection per highway lane and to thereby reduce the possibility of traffic jams during rush hours and/or on busy highways.

United States Patent Rubenstein [54] TOLL BOOTH SYSTEM [72] Inventor: Louis D. Rubenstein, 2911 Barnes Ave., Bronx, NY. 10467 [22] Filed: Sept. 30, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 76,821

[52] US. Cl. ..340/31 R [51] Int. Cl. ..G08g 1/01 [58] Field of Search ..340/51, 31

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 3,104,367 9/1963 Grant ..340/5l X 3,206,722 9/1965 Gustus et al. ..340/5l Primary Examiner-William C. Cooper Att0rneyKenneth S. Goldfarb 5 7 ABSTRACT A series of two consecutive toll booths along a single lane of access and exit, with toll-due sign, the tollreceiving receptacle, the toll-booth treadle, information and direction signs, thank you signs, alarms and the like being for each booth coordinated automatically with the other booth, permitting two consecutive [451 Aug. 22, 1972 automobiles to be paying tolls at the same time, the two automobiles to leave at the same time, .and two other automobiles next in line to move to the respective vacant toll booths, with the sign at the first vacant toll booth directing the first other automobile to proceed to and pay ahead at the second toll booth and thereafter a sign at the first toll booth directing the second other automobile to pay here the toll at the first toll booth, with a sign at the second toll booth directing the first other automobile to pay here at the second toll booth, with a thank you sign at each toll booth activatable and the pay-toll signs deactivatable by payment of the toll, and with each second automobile being able to proceed past the second toll booth without setting off an alarm when already the second automobile has paid its toll at the first toll booth, a first automobile also being permitted to erroneously pay toll at the first toll booth and to thereafter proceed past the second toll booth without setting off an alarm, the mechanisms of the automatically coordinated toll booths being automatically reset for repeat operation, in this manner permitting each available single lane to serve to collect tolls from a plurality of customers simultaneously to thereby speed-up toll collection per highway lane and to thereby reduce the possibility of traffic jams during rush hours and/or on busy highways.

5 Claims, 8 Drawing figures Patented Aug. 22, 1972 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Aug. 22, 1972 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 M a M Patented Aug. 22, 1972 3,686,627

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 4A FIG. 4B 1/ 1 E21 Q21 A a E3 TOLL BOOTH SYSTEM This invention relates to an improved automobile toll collection system making possible simultaneous collection at a plurality of booths in series along a single lane.

Prior to this invention the toll booths employed on the highways required a separate lane for each toll booth, whereby in order to reduce the possibility of traffic jam during rush hours and/or on busy highways, the sole solution appears to have been to merely increase the breadth of the highway at the toll collection site in order to accommodate more separate lanes with one toll booth per lane. However, even with such possibilities being sometime available, the ever-increasing auto, truck and bus traffic nevertheless continues to cause automobiles, trucks and buses to traffic jam up for miles back awaiting their turn to gain access to one of the parallel laned toll booths, and also there being some toll booth areas where there is limited or no possibility for additional parallel lanes for additional one booth per lane.

An object of this invention is a combination of a plurality of automatically coordinated toll booths in series in a single lane highway or roadway for permitting simultaneous access and payment of tolls to a similar plurality of automobiles and/or other vehicles. Another object is an automatic means for directing each of the plurality of automobiles and/or other vehicles to the proper booth of the series which concurrently permits the remaining automobiles of the predetermined plurality to be serviced by (have access to) the remaining toll booths of the series. Another object is for the combination to automatically prevent an alarm actuation whenever either a second automobile having paid a toll at the proper first encounterable toll booth thereafter proceeds past the second toll booth or a first automobile erroneously pays toll at a first toll booth and thereafter proceeds past the second toll booth. Another object is for the switches and/or signs to be reset auto matically upon movement past the second toll booth of a second automobile which paid a toll at the first toll booth. Another object is an automatic sign system for acknowledging payment of toll at a particular toll booth and for sounding an alarm whenever toll payment is not made. Another object is, as a part of the combination, a switch and switching system to prevent double, (that is erroneous repeat), actuation of the booth treadle by the backward roll of the automobile. Another object is as a part of the combination a switching system which automatically permits passage of a first automobile past the first toll booth of a series without causing an alarm, but which requires payment of a toll at the first toll booth by the second automobile to prevent setting off of an alarm for the first toll booth. Another object is a sequencer system automatically timing and coordinating impulses into the toll system combination to thereby prevent simultaneous multiple inputs into a single system or already occupied system. Another object is to allow for varying orders (sequences) of actuation of each booth s treadle switch (by the automobile tire, for example) relative to the actuation of the toll payment switch or the lack of actuation of the toll payment switch by either toll payment or the lack of payment respectively. Other objects are apparent from the preceding and following disclosures.

One or more of the preceding objects is fulfilled by a combination for accommodating simultaneously consecutive and serially arranged toll paying customers, comprising a plurality of at least a first, that is first, and a second, that is second, registering means designated Booth No. 1 and Booth No. 2 in FIG. 2, arranged in series along a predetermined single path of movement (illustrated as a single traffic lane in FIG. 1) of actuator means, (that is vehicles such as automobiles), of said customers, including a bypass means (1) for permitting a first customers actuator means (a) to pass said first registering means without the first registering means signifying toll to be due and (b) to proceed to said second registering means for payment of toll, and (2) for thereafter registering and signifying to a subsequent second customer that toll be due at said first registering means, each registering means including a toll payment acknowledgement means for signifying a toll payment at the registering of a toll payment at the registering means at which payment is made and for registering and signifying that no toll be due at any subsequent encounterable registering means of said plurality.

By the above broadly described invention, a series of toll booths along a single lane of access and exit may all collect tolls substantially simultaneously from a line of sen'ally arranged, (that is one behind the other), automobiles and/or other vehicles such as trucks, buses, or the like, and thereafter all of the toll paid vehicles move on substantially simultaneously, while the toll booths with the automatic switches and signs coordinated as a system all become automatically (or optionally manually) reset to receive a future predetermined number of additional automobiles next in line to pay their tolls. The toll due signs, the toll receiving receptacles, the toll booths treadles, the information and direction signs, the thank you signs, and the like are for all of the booths of the predetermined series automatically coordinated with one another to accomplish the desired and necessary results. For example,

, the sign at the first toll booth, for a series of two booths,

directs the first automobile to pay its toll at the second toll booth, and the passing of the first automobile past the first toll booth automatically turns off that sign and turns on a sign directing the second approaching automobile to pay its toll at the first toll both. Upon payment of toll at the second toll booth by a first automo bile, the toll payment actuates a thank you sign while turning off a pay here sign, and the subsequent exit of the toll paid first automobile from the second toll booth if there is no second car present at the first toll booth or the subsequent exit of the second automobile from the first toll booth past the second toll booth resets the series of booth mechanisms to thereafter receive another pair of automobiles next in line awaiting payment of their tolls. Passage of a first automobile past the second toll booth without paying a toll at either of the first or second toll booths causes an alarm at the second toll booth to be actuated; however, erroneous payment of toll at a first toll booth by a first approaching automobile nevertheless automatically permits the first automobile to pass the second toll booth without further payment of toll and without activating an alarm at the second toll booth. The backward roll of an automobile so as to accidentally activate a toll booth treadle switch for a second time causes the next forward actuation not to register thereby preventing the confusing of the automatic system of switches, signs, and the like.

FIG. 1 illustrates a typical automatic system of serially arranged toll booths of this invention, there being two consecutive booths in the illustrated embodiment;

FIG. 2 illustrates a typical and representative circuit suitable for the two booth embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a more detailed circuitry of the mistake register shown as a box in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4A illustrates a typical circuit of the half-adder, designated I-IA, of FIG. 3;

FIG. 4B illustrates a typical circuit of the half-subtractor, designated I-IS, of FIG. 3.

FIG. 4C illustrates a typical circuit of an input-pulse synchronizer, designated l.P., of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4D illustrates a typical circuit of a reverse-treadle corrector, designated by a box enclosing the term Reverse, of FIG. 2; and,

FIG. 4E illustrates a typical circuit of the sequencer, designated by a box enclosing the term Sequencer of FIG. 2.

The invention may be described with greater particularity as the combination broadly described above, in which the first and second toll booths each are broadly referred to as a registering means, the registering means including all the necessary inventive as well as any other desirable conventional parts. Coordination of the two serially arranged registering means is accomplished by an interconnecting means connecting the plurality for synchronizing them whenever at least one of them is actuated, each of the registering means comprising a toll payment switch means (B1 and B2) for receiving toll and thereupon actuating a signal, a movement switch means (Al and A2), a first signal means (18, 19, 23, and 24) comprising a first actuation switch means (23) for registering a toll payment switch means and for thereafter registering two separate consecutive movement signals from said movement switch means actuatable by movement of said actuator means along the series in a direction extending from the first encounterable registering means to the second encounterable registering means, a second actuation switch means (18) for registering in series two alternatively occurring said movement signals and an intermediately occurring said toil payment signal, and a third actuation switch means (19) for registering two consecutively said movement signals, said bypass means (20 through 24 of FIG. 2) comprising said first signal means (18, 19, 23, 24 of FIG. 2) of said first encounterable registering means in combination with at least a second one of said signal means (20, 21, 22), said second one being structured to require for actuation thereof additionally an actuating signal E resultable from actuation normally (when the first customer properly proceeds past the first booth without paying at the first booth encountered) of said third actuation switch means 19 but possibly also of either of the first or second actuation switch means 18 and 23 of said first encounterable registering means. The interconnecting means, referred to in FIG. 2 as the Mistake Register, comprises a memory means (1) for registering an actuation signal M1 or M2 resultable from actuation of one of (a) said first encounterable registering means first actuation switch means 23 and (b) said first encounterable registering means second actuation switch means 18, (2)

for counting and comparing said movement signals from respective said first encounterable and second encounterable registering means (that is from treadles of Booths No. l and No. 2), and (3) for issuing a correction signal M to a correction switch means (34 and 28) of said second encounterable registering means, said correction switch means being actuatable by said correction signal M for signifying to said first customer that toll is not due to be paid at registering means subsequent in the series to said first registering means. The signal E from the first first actuation switch means of the first encounterable registering means is deactivatable of a sign (P.A.R.) signifying to pay a toll ahead and actuatable of a sign (P.H.S.) signifying to pay toll here for said first encounterable registering means. For each of the first encounterable and second encounterable registering means, the pay-toIl-here sign (RI-LR.) is deactivatable and the thank you sign (T.Y.S.) is activatable by either of said first actuation switch means (20 and 29) and said second actuation switch means (21 and 30) of the second signal means (20 through 22) for the first encounterable registering means of the first signal means (29 through 31 and 28) of the second encounterable registering means. The third actuation switch (22) of the second signal measuring is actuatable of an alarm (Al) for the first encounterable registering means and the third switch (31) of the second encounterable registering means is actuatable of an alarm. Included also in preferred embodiments, as a part of the inventive combination, is a timing-pulse generator (14) for generating impulses required to complete activation of each of preferred toll payment switch means (T.P. of B1 and B2), said movement switch means (LP. of Al and A2), a manual reset means (R) for resetting the plurality, a reverse switch means (C1, 16', and C2, 17) for compensating for erroneous duplicate activation of said movement switch means, a sequencer (15) for feeding said impulses separately and at different times to each respective said movement switch means and collectively to the manual reset means, the toll payment switch means and the reverse switch means.

For a more complete understanding of the mechanism of operation of the inventive combination, beyond that already described above, the FIGS. 1 through 4E may be more fully understood by definition of designations employed in the Figures as follows: Ala vehicle axle has crossed the Booth No. 1 treadle in a forward direction; A2-vehicle axle has forwardly crossed Booth No. 2 treadle; C1-vehicle axle has backwardly crossed Booth No. l treadle; C2-vehicle axle has backwardly crossed Booth No. 2 treadle; B1 vehicle has paid toll at Booth No. I; B2vehicle has paid toll at Booth No. 2; Rthe manually operated reset switch has been activated; P.A.S.the sign Pay Toll Ahead" is turned on (set); P.A.R.the sign Pay Toll Ahead is turned off (reset); P.I-I.S.the sign Pay Toll Here is turned on; P.l-I.R.the sign Pay Toll Here is turned off; T.Y.S.the sign Thank You" is turned on; T.Y.R.the sign Thank You" is turned off; Althe alarm (of the particular toll booth) is sounded for about 15 seconds; I.P.-input pulse synchronizer; B,A,A,the sequence of impulses received from (as the case may be) B1 or B2, thereafter from Al or A2, and thereafter again from A1 or A2; similarly A,B,A, A,A, M,A,A, E,B,A,A, and

the like illustrates the order of signal pulses received, as caused by a treadle activation (Al or A2), a toll payment (B1 or B2), or the like; AND" switch-requires two impulses, one from one source and the other from the other source before that AND" switch passes-on the received signal pulse, one of the received pulses being a switch-setting pulse, or possibly a timing pulse, or the like; the OR switch-a switch which will send out an impulse signal whenever it receives a signal from any of several possible sources; and FFa flip flop switch similar in nature to the AND switch, preventing an occupied switching system from receiving another signal prematurely which would confuse the switching system, said FF switch permitting signal passage from the activated terminal until deactivated by the reset signal.

In FIG. 3, a treadle difference counter is composed of five identical circuits 40 through 44, only the circuit being shown in detail, each circuit being designed to calculate and store one digit of the binary representation of the treadle difference counter, which functions to count the difference in impulses received from Al and A2 and to send the information to either of circuit 37 or circuit 38, provided that the signal (N or N-l or other final computation) is sent only to an unoccupied circuit 37 or 38, as the case may be. The circuits 37 and 38 are identical, one being a spare for use when the other is occupied (busy), and each of these circuits receive an impulse M1 or M2, as the case may be. If the impulse M1 is received, the circuit 37 will count N pulses of A2 and after the Nth impulse is counted, an output signal M will be emitted to the sequencer switch 28; if the pulse received by 37 was from M2, it will count N minus 1 before emitting an output pulse M; if for the pulse M1 or M2 the received number of pulses counted do not correctly correspond to N or N minus 1 as the case may be, no signal pulse M will be emitted, and if the automobile thereafter fails to pay at the second toll booth, the alarm of the second toll booth will go on (that is, will be activated). The switching circuit 37 includes sub-circuits 48 through 52, solely sub-circuit 48 being illustrated in full, the subcircuit 48 including switches 53, 54, delay switch D, an inverse element N, a half-subtractor HS,-the subswitches 48 through 52 functioning in coordination (as shown) with switches 56 through 61, and the subcircuit 40 including switches such as 45, 46, 47, halfsubtractor I-IS, half-adder HA, etc.,' the input pulse wire for these circuits being designated y and the output pulse wire being designated x for any particular switch. In the upper right-hand corner of FIG. 3, a sequencer switch means 39, an OR" circuit, and four AND circuits jointly function to direct the pulses Ml and/or M2 to circuit 37 or 38, as the case may be, alternately to 37 and 38 circuits.

Although the circuits illustrated in FIGS. 4A through 4E are necessary circuits to the inventive combination to the extent described in the disclosure above, and therefore are illustrated a part of the inventive combination, the operation of these circuits is conventional and can be understood by mere reference to the identifying designations.

It is to be understood that any one or more other structures of obvious equivalent function and/or obvious substitute or merely slightly altered circuits, may be substituted for those disclosed in the above illustrated embodiment without departing from the heart of the invention, the particular illustrated embodiment being merely for better understanding of the nature of the invention.

A latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in the foregoing disclosure, and in some instances some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features.

I claim:

1. A traffic control device for accommodating simultaneously consecutive and serially arranged toll-paying customers, comprising a plurality of at least a first and a second registering means arranged in series along a predetermined single path of movement of actuator means of said customers, bypass means for permitting a first customers actuator means to pass said first registering means without the first registering means signifying toll is due and to proceed to said second registering means for payment of toll, and for thereafter registering and signifying to a subsequent second customer that toll is payable at said first registering means, each registering means including a toll payment acknowledgement means for signalling a toll payment at the registering of a toll payment at the respective registering means at which payment is made and for registering and signifying that no toll be due at any subsequently encounterable registering means of said plurality.

2. A device according to claim 1, including interconnecting means for connecting and synchronizing said plurality of registering means when at least one of said registering means is operated, each of said registering means comprising a toll payment switch means for receiving toll and thereupon operating a signal, movement switch means, first signal means including first operating switch means for registering a toll payment signal from said toll payment switch means and for thereafter registering two separate consecutive movement signals from said movement switch means operated by movement of said operating means along said series in a direction extending from said first registering means to said second registering means, second actuation switch means for registering in series two alternately occurring of said movement signals and an intermediately occurring of said toll payment signal, and a third operating switch means for registering two consecutive operations of said movement signals, said bypass means comprising a first operating switch means of said first registering means in combination with at least a second operating signal means, said second operating means being structured to require for operation an addition actuating signal power operation of at least one of said first, second and third operating switch means of said first registering means.

3. A combination according to claim 2, in which said interconnecting means comprises a memory means (1 for registering an operating signal resulting from operation of one of (a) said first registering means first operating switch means and (b) second registering means said second operating switch means, (2) for counting and comparing said movement signals from said first and second operating means, and (3) for issuing a correction signal to a correction switch means of said second operating means, said correction switch means being operable by said correction signal for signifying to a said customer that toll is not to be paid at said second registering means subsequent in series to said first registering means.

4. A combination according to claim 3, in which a signal from the first operating switch means of said first registering means is interconnected to a sign signifying payment of toll ahead and a sign signifying to pay toll here for said first registering means, in which for each of the first and second registering means the paytoll-here sign is withdrawn and the (a) thank-you sign is operated by said first operating actuation switch means and by said second operation switch means of the second operating signal means for the first registering means and by the first signal means of the second registering means, in which the third actuation switch of said second operating signal means operates an alarm for said registering means and the third switch of the second registering means operates an alarm for said second registering means.

5. A combination according to ciaim 4, including a timing pulse generator for generating impulses required to complete operation of said toll payment switch means, said movement switch-means, a manual reset means for resetting said plurality, a reverse switch means for compensating for erroneous duplicate operation of said movement switch means, a sequencer for feeding said impulses separately at ditferent times to each respective said movement switch-means and collectively to the manual reset means, the toll-payment switch means, and the reverse switch means. 

1. A traffic control device for accommodating simultaneously consecutive and serially arranged toll-paying customers, comprising a plurality of at least a first and a second registering means arranged in series along a predetermined single path of movement of actuator means of said customers, bypass means for permitting a first customer''s actuator means to pass said first registering means without the first registering means signifying toll is due and to proceed to said second registering means for payment of toll, and for thereafter registering and signifying to a subsequent second customer that toll is payable at said first registering means, each registering means including a toll payment acknowledgement means for signalling a toll payment at the registering of a toll payment at the respective registering means at which payment is made and for registering and signifying that no toll be due at any subsequently encounterable registering means of said plurality.
 2. A device according to claim 1, including interconnecting means for connecting and synchronizing said plurality of registering means when at least one of said registering means is operated, each of said registering means comprising a toll payment switch means for receiving toll and thereupon operating a signal, movement switch means, first signal means including first operating switch means for registering a toll payment signal from said toll payment switch means and for thereafter registering two separate consecutive movement signals from said movement switch means operated by movement of said operating means along said series in a direction extending from said first registering means to said second registering means, second actuation switch means for registering in series two alternately occurring of said movement signals and an intermediately occurring of said toll payment signal, and a third operating switch means for registering two consecutive operations of said movement signals, said bypass means comprising a first operating switch means of said first registering means in combination with at least a second operating signal means, said second operating means being structured to require for operation an addition actuating signal power operation of at least one of said first, second and third operating switch means of said first registering means.
 3. A combination according to claim 2, in which said interconnecting means comprises a memory means (1) for registering an operating signal resulting from operation of one of (a) said first registering means'' first operating switch means and (b) second registering means'' said second operating switch means, (2) for counting and comparing said movement signals from said first and second operating means, and (3) for issuing a correction signal to a correction switch means of said second operating means, said correction switch means being operable by said correction signal for signifying to a said customer that toll is not to be paid at said second registering means subsequent in series to said first registering means.
 4. A combination according to claim 3, in which a signal from the first operating switch means of said first registering means is interconnected to a sign signifying payment of toll ''''ahead'''' and a sign signifying to pay toll ''''here'''' for said first registering means, in which for each of the first and second registering means the ''''pay-toll-here'''' sign is withdrawn and the (a) ''''thank-you'''' sign is operated by said first operating actuation switch means and by said second operation switch means of the second operating signal means for the first Registering means and by the first signal means of the second registering means, in which the third actuation switch of said second operating signal means operates an alarm for said registering means and the third switch of the second registering means operates an alarm for said second registering means.
 5. A combination according to claim 4, including a timing pulse generator for generating impulses required to complete operation of said toll payment switch means, said movement switch-means, a manual reset means for resetting said plurality, a reverse switch means for compensating for erroneous duplicate operation of said movement switch means, a sequencer for feeding said impulses separately at different times to each respective said movement switch-means and collectively to the manual reset means, the toll-payment switch means, and the reverse switch means. 